Ríos de Oro y Plata

Jeison Sierra's landscapes tell a tale of melancholy and loss. This young artist starts from his own experience of uprooting and takes it outside of himself, thus being able to talk about the trauma brought about by mining in the territory of his childhood.

Press Release

Few things other than gold have been able to unite the human race around an ideal. This soft metal has been the most immediate way to materialize the idea of God for a variety of cultures, at different times and places. Today, the memory it reflects with its hypnotizing shine is as fascinating as the Story of the peoples who’ve manipulated it, while also bringing up the huge tragedy that its extraction, transformation and hoarding has brought about.[…]Bleak landscapes, filled with an eerie light that seems to emanate from the canvas’ center, where golden smudges representing waterways steal our attention. This is how Jeison Sierra portrays the reality that is right in front of us while we voluntarily blind ourselves to it. This series of drawings on canvas made out of mineral charcoal and turpentine, are a reiteration of art’s testimonial essence; they are a form of evil beauty reminding us that the richness of a few is heavy on the shoulders of thousands, millions.[…]